Meet Patrice Talon, the cotton tycoon who became Benin's president and survived a 2025 coup attempt
Billionaires Africa | 16.05.2026 11:32
Patrice Talon, the eighth president of Benin and the country's most influential businessman of the past three decades, has built one of West Africa's most consequential careers across two arenas, cotton and the state. By the time he took the oath of office in Cotonou on April 6, 2016, he had already been ranked the 15th wealthiest person in sub-Saharan Africa, with a fortune valued at around $400 million. Nearly a decade in power later, he has survived an attempted coup, jailed two of his closest former allies and confirmed that he will leave office in 2026 without changing the constitution to extend his stay.
